Baylor Bears win game 1, beat Arkansas 8-1WACO, Texas — It took just two batters Saturday to realize Arkansas was dealing with a different offense than the ones it faced during last week’s Houston Regional. Baylor’s pesky designated hitter, Nathan Orf, was hit by a pitch for the 35th time this season to lead off the Waco Super Regional. Then, center fielder Logan Vick deposited a pitch over the wall in left centerfield. The Bears beat up Arkansas ace DJ Baxendale in the early innings ...

Garrett qualifies for Southern AmateurLITTLE ROCK — Arkansas Tech’s Jack “Rowdy” Garrett qualified for the 106th Southern Amateur Championship after finishing tied for fifth place in Thursday’s qualifying round here on the Bear Den Course at the Chenal Country Club. Garrett, who will be a junior this coming fall at Tech, earned one of 11 spots from Thursday’s qualifying round into next month’s Southern Amateur Championship, which will also be held on the Bear Den Course at the Che...

Arkansas Razorbacks head to Waco for Super Regional todayWACO, Texas — Arkansas third baseman Matt Reynolds has experienced plenty in his baseball career. The junior has battled through injuries. He has worked his way through slumps. But Reynolds said none of it compared to the difficulties Arkansas endured throughout the second half of the 2012 season. “It was very tough,” Reynolds said. “One of the toughest stretches I’ve probably gone through as a player with a team. It was going from ranked in t...

Arkansas Tech nets All-Sports TrophyArkansas Tech University’s athletic department set the bar for the inaugural season of the Great American Conference in 2011-12, and they were rewarded Thursday with the GAC All-Sports Trophy honoring the school with the best combined finish between all its athletic programs. Tech, now celebrating after being named the top athletic program in a league for the first time in the school’s Division II era (1995-present), will be honored for its ac...

Farney, Denzer nominated for GAC scholar-athlete honorsArkansas Tech University seniors Laura Farney and Jake Denzer have been nominated for the inaugural Great American Conference Male and Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award for the 2011-12 school year. The first-year league will present the award winners at its Night of Champions Banquet on June 20 at the Embassy Suites Hotel in West Little Rock. The event, which will also honor the league’s All-Sport Trophy winner, the Male and Female Athl...

Hogs to visit Baylor in Super RegionalFAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas won an NCAA Regional on the road for the first time since 2009 on Sunday. The Razorbacks will have to win on the road again to reach the 2012 College World Series. Arkansas (42-19) will travel to Baylor (48-15) to play the No. 4 national seed in the best-of-three Waco (Texas) Super Regional, which begins Saturday at 4 p.m. The game will be televised by ESPNU. The second game will be played at 3 p.m. Sunday on ESPNU. The...

Davis, Alvarez possible athletes of the yearJohnie Davis and Mariel Alvarez, senior student athletes at Arkansas Tech, were nominated for the inaugural Great American Conference’s male and female athlete of the year awards for the 2011-12 school year. Davis, a member of the Wonder Boys basketball team, and Alvarez, a Golden Suns tennis player, will be on hand when the conference announces the winners at the Night of Champions Banquet on June 20 at the Embassy Suites Hotel in West Little...

Hogs stymies Rice Owls 1-0 in NCAA baseball tournament HOUSTON (AP) — Ryne Stanek and Barrett Astin combined on a six-hitter to lead Arkansas to a 1-0 win over Rice on Saturday night in the Houston Regional. Stanek (7-4) threw seven scoreless innings, giving up five hits and striking out five. Astin gave up a hit over the final two innings for his seventh save. Austin Kubitza (6-5) allowed an unearned on two hits with eight strikeouts in 7 1/3 innings for Rice (41-18). Arkansas (41-19) took a 1-0 ...

Razorback swimmer qualifies for Olympic TrialsFAYETTEVILLE (AP) — An Arkansas swimmer has qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials in the 100-meter breaststroke at the Razorback Aquatic Club’s Summer Invitational. Schools officials say Nikki Daniels improved on her career best time for the long-course event by more than a second when she swam 1:11.67 on Saturday. Other Razorback swimming and diving team members making the cut are Liz Braun; Chelsea Franklin; Julia Kucherich; Anna Mayfield; N...

Reynolds back in full forceFAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas third baseman Matt Reynolds promises he feels just fine now. The pitch that hit the junior in the elbow during his first at-bat in the Southeastern Conference Tournament set an unfortunate tone for a disappointing two days. He had no feeling in his arm after it happened, began to feel nauseated and couldn’t continue in a 9-1 loss to Mississippi State. But Reynolds said it doesn’t bother him a week later as Arkansas prep...

Arkansas earns No. 2 seed in Houston regionalFAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas wasn’t thrilled with the way the regular season ended, going 9-9 during its final six Southeastern Conference series. It didn’t enjoy last week’s stay at the SEC Tournament, either, when two losses to Mississippi State and Ole Miss resulted in a quick departure. But there was good news when the 64-team NCAA Tournament field was announced Monday. Arkansas will get to wipe the slate clean and start all over. The Razorback...

Smith on TwitterFAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas coach John L. Smith has made a big push to pull back the curtain on the football program since taking over for Bobby Petrino, who was fired on April 10. One notable method: stepping out into the social media world with a Twitter account. Smith’s Twitter page made its debut two weeks ago and the coach has attracted nearly 7,000 followers during that span. It has provided Smith with an outlet to display some of his person...

Wilder signs with SaltdogsLINCOLN, Neb. — Former Arkansas Tech third baseman Nate Wilder signed a contract recently to play independent professional baseball with the Lincoln [NE] Saltdogs of the American Association. The American Association is an independent professional baseball league based out of Durham, N.C. The league features three divisions of five teams. The teams play 100 games during the regular season that began on May 17 and ends on Sept. 3. Lincoln is a ...

Arkansas falls in SEC Tournament openerHOOVER, Ala. — Adam Frazier had three hits, while Wes Rea hit a three-run home run to lead Mississippi State to a 9-1 win over Arkansas on Tuesday afternoon in the first round of the SEC Tournament at Regions Park. Arkansas drops to 39-18 on the season, while Mississippi State improves to 35-21. Matt Vinson had a pair of hits and drove in a run to lead the Razorbacks at the plate. Bo Bigham, Tim Carver, Dominic Ficociello, Jacob Mahan and John...

Hogs draw Miss. St. in SEC Tourney openerFAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas outfielder Brian Anderson doesn’t know what postseason play will bring when the Southeastern Conference Tournament begins today. But if it’s anything like his first regular season in college baseball, Anderson is looking forward to it. “It’s been incredible so far,” Anderson said. The Oklahoma native knows he won’t simply have a good view from the Arkansas dugout, either, after becoming a valuable part of the lineup the...

Interest in ASU Red Wolves excites MalzahnThere’s room for not just one, but two successful NCAA Division I football programs in the state of Arkansas, and Gus Malzahn took the head coaching job at Arkansas State University last December to prove it. Malzahn and ASU Athletic Director Dr. Dean Lee visited with a crowd of more than two dozen Wednesday afternoon at The Cracker Barrel in Russellville. “We’re just trying to raise our level here at Arkansas State, where the whole state take...

Former Wonder Boy acquired by AFL’s SoulFormer Arkansas Tech defensive lineman T.J. Langley was acquired by the Philadelphia Soul of the Arena Football League in a trade over the weekend. He was acquired from the Jacksonville Sharks in return for defensive back Micheaux Robinson. In six games for Jacksonville this season, Langley recorded 7.5 tackles and one quarterback sack. “We think Langley has a lot of upside,” Soul head coach Doug Plank said in a news release from the team. “Fo...

ATU anglers flip spots; finish 2nd, 6th on Fort Gibson LakeWAGONER, Okla. — Arkansas Tech University’s Jordan Mullenix and Evan Smith came up less than two pounds short, but caught 26 total pounds of fish to take the runner-up spot Saturday after the 2012 Carhartt College Series Central Super Regional on Fort Gibson Lake. ATU’s Fishing Club was represented in third, sixth and 26th place, respectively, after Friday’s first-round action. The duo of Aaron Sarna and Evan Barnes were third, Smith-Mullenix ...

Three Arkansas football players arrested for burglaryFAYETTEVILLE — Three Arkansas football players have been suspended indefinitely after being arrested and charged with residential burglary after stealing items from dorm rooms. Wide receivers Marquel Wade and Maudrecus Humphrey and tight end Andrew Peterson are currently being held in the Washington County Detention Center after being arrested by the University of Arkansas Police Department on Saturday. Peterson and Humphrey have been charged ...

Baxendale ready to start despite little restFAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas pitcher DJ Baxendale said his father tried to talk him out of it. He also had a long conversation with Arkansas pitching coach Dave Jorn. But No. 20 Arkansas (34-15, 12-12 in Southeastern Conference) needs a starting pitcher to set the tone to open the weekend series against Auburn (26-22, 10-14) in Baum Stadium. So Baxendale wants the ball tonight, despite throwing 110 pitches in a seven-inning start against South Caro...